1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to photocopying and specifically to photocopying methods and equipment which automatically determine whether the original document is color or monochrome.
2. Background of the Invention
Photocopying equipment capable of making both monochrome and color copies is known. However, conventional photocopying equipment is configured to use two scans. The first, a pre-scan, is preformed to determine whether the original document is monochrome or color. In the pre-scan, not all of the data is read. It is a rough scan which can be done at a faster scanning speed than scanning for copying.
The original is scanned again after determining whether the original is monochrome or color. If the original was determined to be color in the pre-scan, the image is scanned with an RGB signal. If the original was determined to be monochrome, the image is scanned with a black signal. In this manner, the original can be processed (and the copies made) using an optimal processing method for copying.
Although this method works, the required two scans take an appreciable amount of time to complete. To improve the speed of copying, it would be advantageous to have photocopying equipment capable of copying both color and monochrome with only a single scan.